Last night we kicked off the North American International Auto Show with the Volkswagen Group at its annual shindig in downtown Detroit. Other than some delicious fried shrimp and tasty fish tacos, there wasn't much to get excited about. The big news is that a three-row 7-person SUV is already in development and heading to the U.S in 2016. Volkswagen didn't release any more information about the upcoming vehicle, but it should be based on the CrossBlue concept the carmaker unveiled last year in Detroit.

The CrossBlue rides on VW's new scaleable MQB architecture that also underpins the new Golf and a host of other VW Group vehicles. Not meant as a replacement for the Touareg, the CrossBlue is longer (196.3 inches) and wider (79.3 inches) than the Touareg while measuring the same height (68.2 inches). The concept shown off in Detroit had an enticing plug-in diesel hybrid powertrain mated with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, but several engines and setups should be offered thanks to the vehicle's flexible platform. As with the CrossBlue, expect this new SUV to have a premium interior and to be outfitted with all of the latest tech—except for USB ports. For some reason, Volkswagen still doesn't think those are necessary in a modern vehicle. We disagree.